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June 12, 2014
PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I got off to a great start on the front nine, and hit a bunch of quality shots, left them in the right places. This golf course is so difficult, to where if you leave yourself putts you have to be aggressive and make them. Conversely, on the back nine, I had a lot of tough putts and didn't handle them well. My speed was definitely off a little bit on the back nine. As the greens got faster, I didn't adjust and hit some poor putts coming in. All in all, I'm driving it really well, hit a bunch of quality iron shots. Took advantage of those iron shots, which you've got to do around here. You're not going to have that many -- I don't know how I made six bogies today, but you're not going to have that very often. You need to take advantage of those shots when you can use them.
Q. Take me through the process of the putter change.
BRANDT SNEDEKER: It's something I've been fooling around with for a while. I thought I haven't been putting up to my standards the last six months, I felt like. And it's not a big change. A little different insert in it and just felt like it needed a different look. It worked great today. Made a lot of 15, 20-footers, which I've been struggling with from that distance, 10 to 20-footers, and made a bunch of them today.
Q. Did you know it was going to be like this?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Yeah, I had no illusions in my mind, shooting 4 on the front nine, I knew it was going to be a cake walk today. I knew there was a stretch of holes that were going to be less than perfect, have to try to survive. I didn't do a great job, made that double on 11 which was kind of a bad double, thinking-wise. But I didn't get too down on myself and realized that it can happen. Hopefully that will be the last time I do that this week.
Q. (Inaudible.)
BRANDT SNEDEKER: The bunkers here are very fluffy, you have to catch them clean. And I was a little too worried about catching them clean. Hit the bunker, ricocheted out. Still wasn't that awful of a shot, just didn't two putt from the front of the green. It's a 5-iron. I had plenty of room to get over the lip, I just kind of banged it a little bit. In retrospect, probably should have hit 7-iron short of the green and chipped it up, and tried to make 4 that way.
Q. Is this different than a regular U.S. Open without the rough?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: No, it felt just as nerve racking and just as uncomfortable from the first tee all day.
Q. How did it play as compared for how you thought it would play?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: About the same. We got lucky, teeing third off. The first nine holes, you were able to hit the ball where you were looking, then the back nine had started firming up and start playing. The guys in the afternoon are going to have a tough go. It's going to be firm.
Q. How much faster were the greens as the day went by?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: A foot, foot and a half faster from this morning to the afternoon, just from the sun coming out and baking them out a little bit.
Q. Is your Odyssey putter with you this week?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I did bring it with me, but it's been stuck in the trunk trying to learn its lessons. Hopefully it's learning.
Q. When is the last time you changed putters?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: 2006.
Q. You've had the same putter for years and years?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I've only had three putters since I can remember. Obviously I needed to make a change.
Q. That's three including this one?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: This is my fourth, yeah, fourth one.
Q. (Inaudible.)
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Yeah, body feels great. No issues whatsoever. I felt great all year, really didn't have any complaints in my body anywhere for the first time in a long time. That's been one good thing this year has been my health.
Q. (Inaudible.)
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Not any time in the near future. I've got to get my coordination a little bit better, I guess.
Q. How tough do you think the afternoon will be stroke-wise tomorrow?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I guess a shot, shot and a half harder, that's what I visualize in my mind. I can start seeing it on 17 and 18. Too tough to stop them close, and too tough to be aggressive on putts, because they're so fast.
Q. What was the one putt that you felt like you got lucky to get that one?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: The one on 16, I hit a little too hard, probably went five feet by, and went right in the middle of the hole. You don't plan on birdieing 16, and to steal that one there is really big. And I got it right back on the next hole with a stupid three-putt on the next hole. The course gives and takes away, you have to be patient and wait for those good stretches.
Q. (Inaudible.)
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Just decels, just kind of stopped and pushed it.
Q. (Inaudible.)
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Probably not to this severity. I certainly didn't see myself shooting as well as I did the front nine. I know I've been playing good, but to go on the front nine, never sneering a bogey, and probably should have shot 5-under on the short one on nine. I didn't see that this morning when I woke up. The golf course kind of got me back on the back nine. Hopefully I can get that same start home, that would be nice.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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